What have you done to your rig today?

[Rzeppa]

Got the front camera hooked up this evening. It's currently on my front license plate which I think is a bit too low. Feels like warp speed even when crawling in 4lo 1st gear. I guess most vehicles that have them stock must have them up in the grill.

I keep trying ti get my to try out her self-driving capability on the 2021 RAV4, and she's like non no no LOL!

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Woot finally done and everything is to my liking. Ended up just mounting the camera all the way at the top of my grill. Might look a little tacky with the wiring (it's not pinching so I'm fine with it for now, might drill a hole and run it in there at a later date) but the spot is PERFECT.

Managed to nail a really good angle right off the batt and the two horizontal blue lines almost perfectly line up with my tires (if only I could adjust the guidelines, I won't complain too much though).

Also put this as the wallpaper, unfortunately I only see it when I'm not using android auto though lol.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Rotating tires and found a relatively new OEM CV boot was leaking. Not what I've come to expect from Toyota! I had cleaned it off mostly in this pic.

Popped off and put an aftermarket "euro style"? clamp. Stainless and chamfered edge, so shouldn't cut the boot - I now have many spares for anyone who could use one. Was a buy 10 for the need of one kind of thing.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Decided to stop at HF and grab a plug socket as I still hadn't gotten a look at my plugs since buying the truck. Pulled one and it looked decent and was an NGK BUT it was a single strap plug and I know the 5vz is supposed to have dual strap plugs. Damn PO cheaping out on me as usual. Ran up to advance and grabbed the proper plugs and the them in. Also gave me an opportunity to look at the throttle body and I guess I know one of my next jobs.

Might clean the IAC too while I'm in there.

Also noticed this line that comes off the driver valve cover and goes into the intake was putting some oil into the intake (not sure what is called, it's not the PCV).

Also had a vacuum line that is cracking on me that I pulled off intake so I might just replace all the vacuum lines soon.

Anyway, it might be classic engine placebo but she seems to be running a little smoother with the proper plugs in there now. And I was also happy that I didn't see any bad signs on the plugs I pulled out. Might also do a compression test soon too to see where I'm at. I suspect it will actually look pretty good given the general performance of her. I suspect either she was extremely well cared for in general or she had head work at some point in life.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Decided to stop at HF and grab a plug socket as I still hadn't gotten a look at my plugs since buying the truck. Pulled one and it looked decent and was an NGK BUT it was a single strap plug and I know the 5vz is supposed to have dual strap plugs. Damn PO cheaping out on me as usual.

Does the FSM call for the same on all 6? I thought it was dual straps all around, too.

But I once read that one bank of the 5VZ has a positive center while the other is reversed polarity and the center is negative. So I wonder if there's a reason for all of it. Like maybe one side runs better with one style. Just spitballing.

I found it odd when I replaced the plugs on my 1GR the factory had installed Denso on one side and NGK on the other for some reason.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Also decided to reseat my rear ABS sensors since I've had an intermittent ABS light issue since I finished my axle seals. Noticed my o rings were pretty dry. I suspect I forgot to lube them up when I did that job so I grabbed some leftover oil I have and but a nice coat on them. Sure enough they seated more easily than I remember. Also nice to know my axle seals are holding up quite well. ABS tone rings were still dry. Anyway right after doing that the light came on but after the next time I restarted it went off and hasn't come back on for 50 miles which is the longest I've seen it of in a while. Crossing my fingers that I solved the issue that easily.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Does the FSM call for the same on all 6? I thought it was dual straps all around, too.

But I once read that one bank of the 5VZ has a positive center while the other is reversed polarity and the center is negative. So I wonder if there's a reason for all of it. Like maybe one side runs better with one style. Just spitballing.

I found it odd when I replaced the plugs on my 1GR the factory had installed Denso on one side and NGK on the other for some reason.

FSM and t4r.org both recommended the exact NGK I got on all 6. Also suspect the PO didn't use antiseize or proper torque specs but I did notice dielectric grease on the driver bank. Did it all properly this time around though.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Also just realized that makes absolutely no sense anyway, the entire engine is your ground, you couldn't make one head hot and the other ground without doing some stupid stuff and using an insulator for a head gasket which hasn't been done since the olden days of asbestos gaskets.

 

[VoodooBlue_Vixen]

I got the battery replaced in the old pickup today! It's gonna carry a bunch of junk to the swap at the expo this Sunday!!! 1994 Pickup xcab w/ a 22RE. IT'S FOR SALE!! Great little project truck!

 

[DaveInDenver]

Also just realized that makes absolutely no sense anyway, the entire engine is your ground, you couldn't make one head hot and the other ground without doing some stupid stuff and using an insulator for a head gasket which hasn't been done since the olden days of asbestos gaskets.

Yeah that EXACT thought was in my head when I woke up this morning. Gives a little insight to what an EE must dream about. Or nightmare anyway.

I suppose though it is possible to shape the arc, plus consider that the spark is AC so polarity is relative. The block is just a reference not an absolute for this circuit. The wave isn’t necessarily symmetrical about the zero since the spark current doesn’t return to the battery but rather only needs to get back to the ignition circuit. There’s no reason the spark couldn't appear negative when the measurement is referenced the block.

Edit to add:
The term automotive engineers use is a waste spark ignition.

Just as you mention the basic concept of the engine being negative reference hasn't changed since Moses was still in automotive trade school the complexity of ignition has in fact evolved a great deal since the days when we just charged a monster coil and dumped it through mechanical points into distributor-less systems with individual drivers on each plug controlled by the ECU that we have now.

https://www.mri-auto-diagnostics.com/home/powertrain/engine-performance/ignition/

https://www.motor.com/magazinepdfs/071999_06.pdf

NGK even has a page discussing it since the spark plugs wear out differently depending on which type of firing it's expected to do.

https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resources/waste-spark-ignitions

It is important to know that in a waste spark ignition system that spark plug electrode wear occurs differently based on the polarity. For plugs in a positive polarity position, more electrode wear will occur at the ground electrode. Plugs in a negative polarity position will experience more wear at the center electrode.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Did my front diff fluid a few weeks back when I was doing diff bushings, finally got around the t case and rear diff.

30k and t case fluid looked almost new and both magnet plugs had barely a pea size amount of fine debris. Rear diff fluid seemed very premature as well with a gold hue to it but I'd rather do it too often.

Toyotas, man!

 

[SteveH]

Spent about 5 hours wiring up the new LC locking axle in the '99 LX 470 with the Trail Gear harness. Works like a champ and doesn't look too aftermarket-hokey. Had to egg out the dash hole quite a bit to fit the harness and switch.

 

[J1000]

I weighed my 100 series today! 5,860 lbs was the weight. That's way lighter than I was expecting. I was thinking 6,000 or 6,200 at the lightest. This is as pictured with none of the rear seats installed. 1/2 tank of gas.

 

[SaintAgatha]

My driver's switch panel had a broken tab so the whole thing would flop around every time I pulled up on the window switches. So I swapped the switch panel, as well as the armrests, and finally got the little covers for the ashtrays (which had been broken off by the PO). I even cleaned all of the 🤮 out of the little grooves on the switches.

It's all cosmetic, but it's a Lexus, so we are fancy like that. Pinkies up. 🤩

 

[hitchhiker]

I wanted to take my dads 40 to the Blow off work and go wheeling run, but was worried it might overheat (it’s been a problem). So I drove it up coal creek canyon and it got hot but not so much that I couldn’t take it!

 

[Corbet]

Replaced all my winch solenoids and relocated the box down by the frame rail as it was blocking airflow to the radiator in previous location.

Posts and cables color coded to make field service easier

Solenoid box was mounted above the winch between my driving lights. Now next to the frame rail not blocking cooling system.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Replaced my alternator this morning after it started developing a whine while I was in Wyoming for a fishing trip (it started at the beginning of the trip and I bought a reman in Laramie but didn't crap out on me so I held off till I was home and could do it more comfortably). Was a super easy job actually.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Replaced my alternator this morning after it started developing a whine while I was in Wyoming for a fishing trip (it started at the beginning of the trip and I bought a reman in Laramie but didn't crap out on me so I held off till I was home and could do it more comfortably). Was a super easy job actually.

Welp, spoke too soon. Had a bad feeling when I was tightening up the bottom bolt that locks in the tensioner as I couldn't get it up to spec. Sure enough she's buggered. Damn thing must have been partially stripped by a PO and when I tried to torque it to spec it buggered it the rest of the way. Oddly enough there's still some clean thread still sticking out that it never engaged. Got a @DanielChase coming over soon with a tap and die set and I'm going to try and clean up what I can on the bolt side. Got a new m8-1.25 from Lowes and I'm going to try and run it on just enough with some blue loctite as a temp fix until I can get the part in. Groove I barely made it to before they closed and they would have to order the part, which usually means any other dealership (including Stevinson) would have to do the same. Hopefully the temp fix will do fine until I can do the permanent thing.

 

[SteveH]

Sold it on BaT this past weekend. Yes, the sale price was embarrassingly high: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1998-toyota-4runner-76/

I've had it 17 years and 160K miles, and it was my trusty DD. I will miss it in some ways, and am glad for my '99 LX470 in others.

 

[Corbet]

I also found this for $300
It’s missing some of the wheel mounting bolts. Any idea what I should use to replace them? Regular old square bolts I guess?

View attachment 116083

I’d think you should be able to press in some OEM wheel studs. Tack weld if needed